One half of the Eastern Conference Semifinals will showcase a renewed rivalry between Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.
Although the two All-Stars have yet to face off in the NBA playoffs until now, tales of their competitive battles on the court trace back to their grassroots days at Stevenson High School in Illinois and Chaminade College Preparatory School in Missouri.
Ahead of Monday’s Game 1 clash at TD Garden, vintage footage from Courtside Films, capturing their high school duel at the Cancer Research Classic in Wheeling, West Virginia, has exploded across social media.
Brunson, with an 8-11 record against Tatum in 19 NBA matchups, vividly recalls that high school showdown. As the premier talents on their squads, they relentlessly battled head-to-head at both ends of the court.
“It was one of those national showcase things,” Brunson told reporters following Monday’s shootaround in Boston. “We played against each other, they won. It was a pretty good game… He went to high school in St. Louis, and I was outside of Chicago, so pretty far. It was a pretty cool experience, especially for a public school, not really traveling for national games. It was pretty cool.”
Tatum erupted for 39 points and 14 rebounds, leading Chaminade to an 88-81 victory. Despite Stevenson’s defeat, Brunson dazzled with 48 points, and the program reaped significant national attention from the high-profile matchup.
“Team-wise, we started to get a little bit more national attention,” Brunson said. “So, it was pretty cool just from my experience in high school, the group of guys that we had. It was a real cool team, a real fun experience with them that I’ll never forget. Just from that aspect it was a great experience.”
Brunson, who went on to win two national championships at Villanova, was a consensus five-star recruit and the 16th ranked player in ESPN’s 2015 class. Tatum, who was named ACC Freshman of the Year in his lone season at Duke, was the third ranked player in ESPN’s 2016 class.
Brunson delivered 31.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game in the Knicks’ 4-2 first-round victory over the Detroit Pistons, while Tatum posted 31.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game in Boston’s 4-1 rout of the Orlando Magic.
Now, these longtime rivals clash once more on the path to the Eastern Conference Finals, with explosive offensive displays all but certain.
